July, 1907 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



161 



varieties, though fewer in number than 

 those suitable for the first-named district. 

 Notwithstanding the conditions and 

 adaptabilities which may be in a gen- 

 eral way characteristic of the large dis- 

 tricts above mentioned, there are always 

 pecuUarities of soil and cUmate, soil 

 moisture, atmospheric currents, etc., 



Iiiich must be taken into consideration, 

 id intelUgently utilized by the in- 

 vidual settler when choosing varieties 

 plant or deciding on methods of 

 iltivation. 

 That the supply of water from moun- 

 tain streams for irrigation purposes is 

 limited, should always be borne in mind 

 and in those portions of the province 

 where irrigation is necessary, the pros- 

 pective settler or investor should be ex- 

 ceedingly careful that a proper supply 

 of water is obtainable, and that he 

 secures a legal right to use it, when pur- 

 chasing fruit lands. There are many of 

 the so-called dry districts where the soil 

 moisture, with proper cultivation, is 

 quite sufficient to produce a full crop in 

 an ordinary year, but there comes peri- 

 odically, the extraordinary year when, 

 without an artificial supply of water at 

 the critical time, the whole crop may be 

 lost. In the arid districts, it should be 

 ,een to that the right to a sufficient sup- 



Peach Plums that Weighed Six to a Pound 



These were thinned at end of third week of growth 

 Photograph by B. T. Boies. 



Arrow and Kootenay Lakes, which can 

 not be irrigated from the available 

 mountain streams, but it may safely be 

 predicted that some day in the not dis- 

 tant future, a genius will arise who will 

 invent a comparatively cheap method 

 of pumping the W-ater from these large 

 reservoirs up to the higher levels, and 

 who then wul venture to estimate the 

 quantity of rare and luscious fruits 

 which this province may be capable of 

 producing, or the gratitude that future 

 generations will lavish on the memory 

 of the man who shall make the cultiva- 

 tion of these beautiful plateaus possible? 

 Then will the gUttering Okanagan Lake 

 become a magnificent water highway, 

 through the midst of densely populated 

 stretches of orchard lands. On either 

 shore will be one continuous line of 

 superb villa homes, and all up and down 

 those scenic galleries of luxurious gardens 

 will dwell the kings and queens of hus- 

 bandry in the happy performance of the 

 first duties allotted to mankind. 



By establishing high standards^and 

 the practice of high ideals, both in the 

 quality of their products and business 

 methods the fruit-growers of British 

 Columbia should have a large share?in 

 building up the commercial character'of 

 the province which, like the golden 



Section of British Columbia Prize Fruit Exhibit, London, England, 1907 



Photograph furnished by courtesy of R. M. Palmer. Victoria. 



ily of irrigation water is obtained, along the Thompson, Columbia, Koot- beams of the summer twilight, shall shed 

 whether it is needed every year or not. cnay and Similkameen Rivers and the its benign influence eastward over the 

 There are immense fertile tablelands Kamloops, Okanagan, Upper and Lower great Dominion of Canada. 



